The present invention relates to a support for securely holding in position on a patient's head an oxygen diffuser for delivery of a plume of oxygen-enriched air to a space in front of the patient's nose and mouth.
In recent years, an alternative system to conventional oxygen masks and nasal cannulas has been developed for delivery of oxygen to a patient, as described for example, in applicant's U.S. application Ser. Nos. 09/572,637 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,166 and U.S. application Ser. No. 09/659,503 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,595,207. Central to such system is an oxygen diffuser which comprises a body having a wall, the interior surface of which wall is generally of concave configuration and circumscribes a centrally positioned oxygen outlet so as to direct the flow of oxygen from the outlet generally towards a patient's nose and mouth. A baffle is seated over the oxygen outlet, the baffle being positioned and designed so as to generate turbulence in the oxygen stream and thereby assist in mixing of oxygen with ambient air. This avoids a direct flow of oxygen towards a patient's face. This diffuser produces a plume of oxygen-enriched air which is then be directed towards the nose and mouth area of a patient's face.
One of the challenges confronting widespread use of this new oxygen diffuser system has been to ensure that the diffuser is securely held in position proximal to, but spaced from, a user's nose and mouth. Use of a headband or ear support, as described and illustrated in applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/572,637 is suitable for a patient that is fully cognitive and not agitated. However, such diffuser supports can easily be dislodged partially or completely, for example, by movement of a sleeping or agitated patient, restricting the practical applications of such a diffuser.
Alternative solutions for holding the diffuser in position on a patient's head have been described in applicant's co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/977,148 which describes and illustrates a flexible attachment which secures to a portion of the diffuser and has adhesive for releasably attaching to a patient's chin or cheek and co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 10/186,015 which describes and illustrates a diffuser attachment which has flexible wings for seating on both sides of a patient's nose or chin, and an elastic band which is secured to the wings so that the strap can extend around the patient's head, when in operation, to secure the wings in position.
These alternative constructions still present difficulties: adhesives can be difficult to apply, and unreliable, causing the diffuser to fall off, and painful to remove; the flexible wings do not provide an adequately comfortable and secure fit for the diffuser and can also be hard to place in position and remove from a patient.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a diffuser support which can be securely fitted and positioned on a patient and which will provide greater resistance against unintentional dislodgement during sleep or agitated behavior. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a support which is relatively easy to place in position on, and remove from, a patient's head, and which will be relatively comfortable to wear.